HoHum:
Note placed on workers desk after he came back from sick days: I heard you caught a cold; I hope it Flu away
WBTU:
The human body is a frail and complicated machine. From the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is not a part of us which is not liable to disease. When I think of all the sickness that comes against us, I do not wonder so much that we die at last- as I do that we live so long.
Sickness and disease, where did it all begin? The fall of humanity at the beginning brought sin into the world, and sin has brought with it the curse of sickness, suffering and pain. These are not things which God created at the beginning. These are consequences of people’s transgressions. People are to blame, not God. The countless sufferings we see are the consequence of the original disobedience.
When I see a little infant, too young to know good from evil, full of bodily pain and hovering between life and death in a weeping mother’s arms, I would be completely puzzled and confused if I did not believe the bible. I would ask myself, “Where is the justice and mercy of allowing such things? Where is the wisdom and love of the Creator?” When I turn to the Bible, this problems is solved. I learn that suffering is the result of Adam’s fall. This infant would not have suffered if Adam had not sinned, and we through Adam.
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Isaiah 38:1-5, 17, NIV.
Cynthia, the postmaster of Bell Arthur, NC, would tell me about people in the community who were sick and/or in the hospital. She would say that the Lord is working through these infirmities to bring people closer to Him. Often left going out to visit with renewed vigor.
The Lord answers prayers with a Yes, No, or wait awhile. Talking about the wait awhile here. Not talking about the one on hospice per say but talking about those who have temporary illnesses, getting us prepared for the flu season.
Thesis: What is sickness meant to teach us?
For instances:
A. Sickness is meant to make us think
Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish- King Hezekiah
We have a soul as well as a body- an immortal soul
If that soul is not saved we had better never have been born; “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28, NIV.
In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction- King Hezekiah; Talking with a dear lady who is in nursing facility- “we think we can do things but without God we can do nothing. This has humbled me and helped me to realize that I can’t even walk without God holding my hand.”
B. Sickness is meant to teach us that there is a world beyond the grave
The world we live in is only a training place for another place- heaven- where there will be no decay, no sorrow, no tears, no misery and no sin
Some people live in pain everyday with no hope of relief, long to be freed from this body
Others who have no pain do not want to think about these things, push them out of their mind. Good to think about this. “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2, NIV. “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.” Ecclesiastes 7:4, NIV.
C. Sickness is meant to make us look at our lives honestly
Am I ready if I should not get better? Did I repent of my sins?
Are my sins forgiven and washed away in Christ’s blood? Am I prepared to meet God?
You have put all my sins behind your back- King Hezekiah- Our sin is so gross to God that he puts it behind his back but how? Christ has taken our sins upon himself- Matthew 8:17- He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases; “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,” “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:3, 12, NIV. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”” Hebrews 8:12, NIV.
D. Sickness is meant to make us see the emptiness of the world
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:14, NIV.
Laura Story “Blessings”- What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
C.S. Lewis- If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that we were made for another world
“Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:16, NIV.
E. Sickness is meant to send us to our Bibles
In days of health the Bible is rarely opened. Sickness brings it down from the shelf
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” Psalms 119:67, NIV.
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Psalms 119:71, NIV.
F. Sickness is meant to make us pray
Some hurried words in the morning and some more hurried words at night
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NIV.
G. Sickness is meant to make us repent and break off our sins
If we will not hear the voice of mercies, God sometimes makes us “hear the rod.”
“We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” Acts 26:14, NIV. A goad is a spiked stick used for driving cattle, in our day it can have an electrically charged end
“A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:28-32, NIV.
H. Sickness is meant to draw us to Christ
We think that our prayers, good deeds, and church participation will save our souls. When our flesh begins to fail, the necessity of a Redeemer, Mediator, and Advocate, stand out before us. Many are content to follow the traditions passed down to them without any inspection, sickness helps us to know if we are on a firm foundation.
Simply to thy cross I cling- “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14, NIV.
I. Sickness is meant to make us feeling and empathizing towards others
Jesus had a hand to help all, and a heart to feel for all.
Not able to empathize with those who have had troubles we have not- empathy is to put ourselves in the shoes of another- sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for another
Good Samaritan- maybe he had troubles on the road to Jericho and able to empathize
“I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Matthew 25:36, NIV.
Sickness can be nasty- it can bring out the worst in us. Sick or in pain and something goes amiss- look out for a tongue lashing
Whether in sickness or in health, need to have fruit of Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24, NIV.
So what? (Adapted from: https://www.renewamerica.com/columns/creech/120410)
Once there was a wayward family, who had no interest in God, his church, or the things of God. There was the father and his three sons, Jim, John, and Sam. The elders of the church had often spoken to them about their souls. The preacher had visited them, and many from the church had lovingly invited them to services — but none of it seemed to do the least bit of good.
One day when the boys were out in the pasture, a large rattlesnake bit John and he became seriously ill. They doctor was called, and after an examination, he pronounced John in critical condition and his life in the balance. The physician said, "About all you can do now is pray." So the father called the preacher and reported to him of John's condition. He asked the preacher to pray earnestly for John's recovery. This is what the minister prayed:
O wise and righteous heavenly Father, we thank thee, for thou hast in thy wisdom sent this rattlesnake to bite John, in order to bring him to his senses. He will not darken the door of your church. He takes no interest in you or right living. He feels no need to pray. Now we trust this will prove to be a valuable lesson to him, and that it will lead to genuine repentance on his part.
And now, O Father, wilt thou send another snake to bite Sam, and another to bite Jim, and another big one to bite the old man. We've all been doing everything we can for years to get them to look to you, but always to no avail. It seems, therefore, that all our combined efforts could not do what this one snake has done. We thus conclude that the only thing left that will do this family any good is rattlesnakes; so gracious Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen."
